Abstract
In medical consultations, patients with limited English may seek the support of interpreters, and may also bring family members to assist them. This transforms the archetypal doctor-patient dyad into a multiparty interaction in which others may speak for the patient: the patient s attempts to present their symptoms and concerns are filtered through the representations of others, trained and untrained. Four medical consultations with older Italian-Australian patients are examined to identify how the interaction is managed between doctors, patients, family members and interpreters (where present). The family members vary in the roles they play in establishing the medical facts and supporting or challenging the patient s claims, creating a more complex discourse for doctor and interpreter to negotiate.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Intersections: Applied Linguistics as a Meeting Place |
Editors | Elke Stracke |
Place of Publication | Newcastle upon Tyne UK |
Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Publishing |
Pages | 22 - 42 |
Number of pages | 21 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781443866545 |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |